The International Chopin Piano Competition (Polish: Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina), often referred to as the Chopin Competition, is a pianocompetition held in Warsaw, Poland. It was initiated in 1927 and has been held every five years since 1955. It is one of few competitions devoted entirely to the works of a single composer,[1] in this case, Frédéric Chopin.

In 1980 (the tenth edition) a controversy arose among members of the jury about a 22-year-old contestant, the Yugoslav pianist Ivo Pogorelić and his openly provocative style of interpretation and behavior on the stage.[citation needed] The jury divided into two groups: those who found his playing unacceptable, and those who were enthusiastic or at least approving of his performance, most notably Martha Argerich, Paul Badura-Skoda and Nikita Magaloff. Finally, when Pogorelić did not reach the final fourth stage, Martha Argerich left the jury, announcing that she felt ashamed for having taken part in the judging process. This followed the resignation of another member of the jury (Louis Kentner) who resigned because of his disapproval of the assessment. While Kentner never returned to Warsaw, Martha Argerich has been a juror in subsequent editions of the Chopin Competition up to 2010.[citation needed]

Since 2010, the Chopin Piano Competition is held for amateur pianists as well. The amateur edition of the competition is organized by the Chopin Society of Warsaw. It is aimed at music lovers from all over the world, for whom playing the piano is a passion rather than a way of earning a living. Despite being much younger than other prominent competitions for amateur pianists (for example, the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in Paris), it has already attracted a significant number of top-level participants.[3]